Atheists and Weapons

I was recently in Alaska doing some work. The crew that I was working with was the stereo-typical conservative god fearing crowd. Something struck me about them. They pack guns. On the job site there were guns. When they went fishing, there were guns (makes some sense since bears are common on the rivers). No matter what they were doing, there were guns. A thought occurred to me. Do atheists carry guns? I have four firearms, but only bought one of them because an uncle needed some bucks. The others were given to me as family gifts. The thought of bringing one never occurred to me. We don't have kids, so I really would have to think about the location of them all and the bullets for them. I just don't have an interest in guns. I'm not afraid of anything, so why would I care?

So the real question that occurred to me is, do any atheists carry firearms? I do know of one. The largess of those that pack in my life are religionists. What are you afraid of? Why do you pack? If we live in the "greatest country" as Americans, why do you have to pack heat? Once in my 36 years do I recall a use for a weapon, but it may have made the situation much worse. If in most countries people don't feel the need to pack, doesn't that refute the greatest country claim on it's face?

I have no judgement of those that want to pack. I defend that right as closely as the next. I'm not bothered by it. In the Czech Republic I was in a bar with three pistols on the table because we had just been target practicing. I enjoyed that true freedom that we don't have here. But does a transgression like stealing my wallet warrant death? Short of abuse of my child or wife, I don't know when I would pull the trigger. I'm quite capable of damage to anyone without my wrestling background. So why would I pack? If you are an atheist that packs, why is that, and can you justify it without fear? This is a new thought, so I'd love to hear all positions on it.

Replies to This Discussion

I have a pellet gun which I got when I was 14 and obsessed with living in the wilderness. I've taken it out of it's case maybe 2 or 3 times in the last 15 years just to see if I can still aim the way I did when I was a teen. I would never use it to kill another being except in self defense, but since it's a pellet gun, I'd better hit my attacker in the eye or else it'll do very little to save me.

Some of my uncles are avid hunters and love their guns. They're christians. That doesn't necessarily deem correlation though, since most people I know are christians.

NZ has laws that dont allow us to 'carry' firearms, as you put it. If i was to carry a gun on the street, or anywhere besides a legal gun range, I would be arrested and thrown in jail. The police have to interview you if you want to apply for a gun licence and you have to own a safe to store guns and ammo seperately.
To answer your question: no, I perfer to stay in the law's good books.

Note in the link that in homicides we are at 7.07 and the Czech Republic where they have crime and Russian Mafia, and I was sitting with guns on a table in a bar, the homicide rate is 1.77. There is also a bigger cultural question. We raise our children celebrating violence in movies and abhorring sex. As a result, we can't talk about sex education with our children then they grow up idolizing random murder ala Schwarzenegger and Rambo. There is a larger cultural issue me thinks.

If the police hear anything about someone waving a gun around, they send armed defenders (SWAT). It works very well. Our military adopts the same tact; and our airforce only has a few cargo planes... and our navy only has two small frigates.
This law is taken very serriously and even gunshops are frowned on if they have loaded guns under the counter.

The answer to your question: Yes I own many guns, and have a carry permit. I hope I never have to fire in self-defense, but since a god is not looking out for me, I have to look out for myself. Most, but not all, are historic black powder weapons. Most of my shooting buddies are Christian zealots who hope they will get to shoot someone before they die.

Sounds self-fulfilling. My step-father was a Federal Officer (Border Patrol) and had to draw once in his entire career. It wasn't a favorite moment in his career. I think that people romanticize it and they've watched way too many movies.

The scenario that may have been worse had I had a gun, I was living in Tacoma WA in 92. I was going to college and stocking shelves in a grocery store at night. Someone came in and stole some beer. I run him down around the side of the store and take him down. He's not speaking English (Hispanic) and I hear screeching tires in the parking lot coming my way. Tacoma was a gang violence capital then. This van comes around the corner with the side door open and guy with a handgun hanging out of it. I pull his buddy off the ground into a rear naked choke with him on his knees in front of me. I put my head behind his chest on his back so if the trigger is pulled, your buddy is coming with me. The van gets to us so I stand him up and push him towards his friend. Had I had a gun, there may have been dead bodies, over beer. I would have been justified, but put myself at greater risk.

It's not the only time I've faced a gun too. The second time the gun man ran because I wasn't stopping in coming at him. It was over us passing him on the freeway. He thought that we were going too fast and tried to slow us down over and over. It really seems to be a tool of cowards more often than responsibility. I say that as an owner and having grown up with them on the wall. I'm concerned that the position of your friends is far too common and not good for anyone.

Tacoma, then, was crazy. I walked out behind an armed robber not 50 feet behind him and got the license plate as they drove away. My bosses eyes almost fell out of his head. It was like Memphis today. Maybe it was youthful arrogance, maybe I saw people for what they are? In terms of experiencing bad folks, I have stories.

Nah. I think that it's safer than when I was 18 to say 22 (36 now). Tacoma was once the murder capital of the US in like 1993. The guy in the truck was just a kook. Seattle is pretty run of the mill or less these days. Mill Creek, the city I live in (burbs of Seattle) is stupid safe. If someone tried to commit a crime on me here I'd probably say, "Really?" and smile in shock. My truck tool box has a couple grand in tools and the lock is broken. Has been since two trucks ago.